Seal



F. KEIDEL' .SEAL

Filed June 21, 1934 June 25, 1935. I

INVENTOR flan]? ffeiaiel ATTORNEYS Patented June 25, 1935 7 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I SEAL :i Frank Keidel, Elmhurst, N. Y., assignor to The International Seal and Knot Protector 00.,

New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 21, 1934, Serial No. 731,611 4 Claims. (01. 292 32s) This invention relates to that type of seal from the following description in connection with which includes a shackle and a hollow seal body the accompany drawing wherein:

for receiving the ends of the shackle and re- 1 is a perspective V ew Of a S a wit th A taining them therein in locked position. shackle ends locked in pos More specifically the present invention repre- Fi 2 is an enlarged plan view of the casing, 5

sents an improvement in the type of seal disthe a e 'b g Shown in Section, closed in my prior Patent No. 1,930,560, issued Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of October 17, 1933. The specific form illustrated Fig. 2, and

v in said patent includes a seal body formed from 4 is a se a V ew O t e e -4 0f a pair of cup-like members, telescoped and inter- Fig. 3. 10 locked to provide a casing for a locking plate In e Sp c c m of he invention Show permitting the passage of shackle ends therethe seal body includesa pair of cup-like members through in one direction while positively pre- Ill and H telesc ped ogether to f rm a casingventing their withdrawal. Secured within the casing is a locking plate I2 The patent illustrates the shackle in the form h vin m ns to n g he e or s of a 15 of a wire which passes through apertures in one shackle l3 when said ends are inserted through end wall of the casing and through apertures in the Openings N in the e d o the p and the locking plate, and retained against withlocking Sa d le against withdrawal. The lockdrawal by spring tongues struck out from the i s plat may conveniently be a p between plate in such a direction that theypermit movee W Cupmbers 10 and l l and spaced a 20 ment of the shackle through the plate Openings substantial distance from both of the end walls in only one direction. j of the casing defined by the cups. 7 p

While the construction of the prior patent has The ups 0 a d II a p a y s a p d 0r proven highly effective in use and practically imdrawn from thin metal and their telescopically possible to open without leaving tell-tale eviinterfitting skirt portions are of non-circular 25 denoe, it might be possible to open it if the wire or shape. In order to clamp the locking plate I2 shackle has an unusually long bight portion. By in spaced relationship with respect to the ends patiently pulling on one end leg of the shackle of the casing,the cup I0 is formed withashoulder and at the same time twisting it firstin one dil5 upon which the locking plate seats and is rection and then in the other, the tongues might clamped by the end of the inner cup I l. 30 gradually cut the projections on the shackle leg, In order that the two cup-like members [0 and or cut a sort of screw thread in the leg H may be firmly gripped in telescoped frictional and permit the shackle leg to be gradually worked engagement, theoutside diameter of the skirt of out of the casing. a the cup H is equal to theinside diameter of the The main object of this invention is to prevent larger end of the skirt of the cup Ill. The depth 35 any such operation, and I accomplish that object of the cup-like member I l is such that when the by making the shackle of non-circular cross-sectwo members are completely telescoped, the bottion, and providing a plate of extremely hard tom of the cup II will extend no substantial dismetal having apertures generally corresponding tance beyond the peripheral edge of the skirt of in shape to the cross-section of the shackle legs the cup In, so that no portion of the member ll 40 so that when the legs have passed through thesev may be gripped to pull it out of the member l0. apertures they cannot be twisted eventhough' the In fact the two members I0 and II have a very bight of the shackle be extremely long. tight frictional fit and are preferably assembled I accomplish the desired result at a relatively in a press. The member Il may taper slightly small cost and with substantially no change in outwardly toward its openend and the member In 45' the construction of the seal body since the hard may be worked in around this taper and actually metal plate which prevents twisting of the shackle turned slightly under the bottom' of the cup I l in legs may conveniently overlie the locking plate the assembly press as shown at Illa (Fig. 3).

and be retained in position by the same means From the standpointof the present invention,

previously used to secure the locking plate. The however, any effective method of interlocking the 50 manufacturing cost of the present seal with its telescoped cups so that they cannot be separated hard metal anti-twist plate is but negligibly withoutleevihg e ale evidence of tampe i greater thanthe cost of manufacturing the's'eal will serve the purpose;

H illustrated in my .prior patent.

The locking plate I2 is preferably of th in spring i ,The invention may be morefully understood steel and has a pair'oi spaced apertures [6 therein registering with the openings 1 4, through which the legs of the shackle 63 may pass. Thus the legs of the shackle may be inserted through the bottom or end wall of the cup i8 and through the locking plate 62 until they abut the end wall of the cup H. By pushing the shackle all the way home it is not possible to cut off the wires close to the seal body and reuse the same shackle with the same casing because the remaining stud ends of the shackle will still be held in looking engagement with the plate 52 and the cut-01f end of the wire can neither be pulled out nor pushed The shackle or at least the leg portions thereof, are roughened or corrugated or notched or toothed for firm engagement by locking tongues !'I struck outwardly from the plate M and permitting the legs of the shackle to pass between them in one direction, but biting into the legs and engaging the teeth or notches to block withdrawal of these legs.

The periphery of the flat locking plate l2 follows the generally oval contour. of the hollow seal body, at least to such an extent that any rotary movement of the locking plate within the body is prevented. As an important feature of the present invention, the shackle, or at least the legs thereof, are formed of flat wire stock of rectangular or other non-circular cross-section.

overlying the face of the locking plate and likewise clamped between the shoulder is and the end of the cup, and preferably having a contour corresponding to that of the locking plate 82, is an anti-twist plate 18 of heavier gauge hard metal. This plate has apertures I9 therein registering with the apertures i l and i6, and through which the legs of the shackle pass.

While I have illustrated the shackle legs as of generally rectangular cross-section, and the openings IQ of similar shape, the important point is to have the shackle legs and the openings of the antitwist plate of non-circular cross-section, so that the legs of the shackle cannot be rotated, twisted or oscillated in the locking plate.

It is, of course, within the scope of the invention to secure the hard metal plate is in position in any suitable location, and by any suitable means, within the casing so long as it serves its intended function of preventing twisting of the shackle legs. The mounting of it between the locking plate and shackle inlet apertures, and the clamping of it by the same means that clamps the locking plate, is preferred because it involves no change in the seal body construction of my prior patent other than forming the skirt of the cup I l slightly shorter. The locking plate is extremely inexpensive and may be produced by a simple stamping or punching operation.

In the drawing I have shown the seal in its completely assembled position, but seals are usually sold with the flexible shackle separate from the casing. The shackle may be sold as a U- shaped section or as a long coil of wire from which the user may cut off a section of any length and bend it to make the shackle.

The mode of assembly of the shackle body is such that no pressure transmitted by a thrust on the shackle will be operative to effect disengagement of the telescoped cup-like members Ill and H. In other words, the amount of thrust which can be applied endwise to the legs of the wire shackle without buckling it, is less than the force required to overcome the grip between the two cup members.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. A seal of the class described, including a pair of telescopically interfitted, generally cuplike members of non-circular shape, cooperatively defining a hollow body, one of said members having a shoulder therein spaced from the ends thereof, and a pair of plates clamped between the shoulder and the end of the other cup-like member, and of a conformation to be retained against rotation within the cup-like members, the end wall of one cup having apertures therein and both of said plates having apertures therein registering with the first-mentioned apertures, a flexible metal shackle including leg portions of non-circular shape adapted to pass through the registering apertures, one of said plates having resilient locking tongues to engage the shackle and block withdrawal thereof, and the other plate being of hard stiff metal and having its apertures closely conforming to the cross-sectional shape of the shackle legs whereby twisting of the legs within the casing is prevented.

2. A seal including a hollow body having apertures in one wall thereof, and a shackle having legs adapted to pass through said apertures and abut the opposite wall, a plate within the body and having resilient portions to prevent the withdrawal of the shackle legs therefrom, and a separate hard substantially inflexible metal plate also within the body to prevent twisting of the shackle legs therein, said shackle being of flexible wire and of non-circular crosssection, and said plate having shackle legs receiving apertures therein of a cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of the legs.

3. A seal including, a pair of cup-like members of non-circular shape, each having an end and a peripheral wall of thin metal, the outer diameter of the peripheral wall of one of said members being substantially equal to the inner diameter of the peripheral wall of the other member, said members being telescoped to form a casing, a flexible wire shackle having legs of non-circular cross-section, the end wall of one of said cup-like members having apertures through which the legs of the shackle are adapted to pass, a locking plate having its body portion spaced from both of said end walls, said plate having a pair of apertures in alinement with said first mentioned apertures, and having tongues adapted to engage the legs of the shackle extending therethrough to prevent the withdrawal of said shackle legs, while permitting the entry of said shackle legs, and a hard metal plate disposed against said locking plate and between the latter and said apertured end wall, both of said plates being clamped between said cup-like members, said last mentioned plate having apertures closely conforming to the crosssectional shape of the shackle legs, whereby twisting of the legs within the casing is prevented.

4. A seal including a pair of cup-like members, each having an end and a peripheral wall of thin metal, said members being telescoped to form a casing, a flexible wire shackle having legs of non-circular cross-section, the end wall of. one of said cup-like members having apertures. through which the legs of the shackle are adapted to pass, a locking plate having its body portion spaced from both of said end walls, said plate having a pair of apertures in alinement with said first mentioned apertures, and having tongues adapted to engage the legs of the shackle extending threrethrough to prevent the withdrawal of said shackle legs, while permitting the entry of said shackle legs, and a hard metal plate disposed against said locking plate and between the latter and said apertured end wall, and having apertures closely conforming to the cross-sectional shape of the shackle legs, whereby twisting of the legs within the casing is prevented, both of said plates being clamped between said cup-like members.

FRANK KEIDEL. 

